The present invention relates to an eviscerating member for processing a cluster of viscera of a slaughtered animal. The invention also relates to a device which comprises a number of such eviscerating members, and to a method for processing a cluster of viscera of a slaughtered animal with the aid of the eviscerating member. Wherever the following text uses the term xe2x80x9cabovexe2x80x9d a specific organ which forms part of the viscera, the position of the organ in the slaughtered animal in the natural, standing position of this animal is intended to be used as reference.
Numerous embodiments of eviscerating members are known from the prior art.
Netherlands patent application 9,100,153 describes an eviscerating member for poultry which comprises two substantially symmetrical C-shaped brackets which are hingedly connected to one another at their free ends and can be moved by an actuating means between a closed position, in which the brackets extend parallel to and next to one another, and an open position, in which the brackets have each pivoted through 90 degrees or less in opposite directions with respect to the closed position.
When the eviscerating member which is known from Netherlands patent application 9,100,153 is being used for an eviscerating operation, the brackets are placed in their open position and are moved into the abdominal cavity of a bird hanging by its legs, towards a position which is such that, when the brackets are being transferred to their closed position, the gullet of the cluster of viscera of the bird is gripped between the brackets in the vicinity of the front end of the eviscerating member. During a first phase involving moving of the brackets into the bird in their open position, and during a second phase involving moving the brackets from the open position to the closed position inside the abdominal cavity of the bird, large amounts of connective tissue in the viscera is broken, and viscera are moved out of their natural position before the closed position is reached. Consequently, the viscera are damaged and the eviscerating operation is difficult to reproduce. A particular drawback is that the location where the gullet is taken hold of varies within a wide range and that when the brackets are being transferred from their open position to their closed position, organs other than the gullet, for example intestines, unintentionally become jammed between the brackets and become damaged, so that their contents are spilled and may contaminate the organs and other parts of the slaughtered animal.
European patent application 587,253 describes an eviscerating member having an assembly of an eviscerating spoon and a fixing member. The eviscerating spoon can pivot between two limit positions. The fixing member is positioned behind the eviscerating spoon and comprises two jaw parts which can move with respect to one another between an open position, in which a first jaw part is situated at a distance from the second jaw part, and a closed position, in which the first jaw part and the second jaw part are driven towards one another.
While the eviscerating member which is known from European patent application 587,253 is being used, the assembly of the eviscerating blade and the fixing member is moved into the abdominal cavity of a bird hanging by its legs along the breast or back side of the bird until the fixing member is in its open position at the level of the gullet. Then, the eviscerating spoon is pivoted, so that the cluster of viscera is pushed upwards, and the fixing member is moved to its closed position, so that the gullet is gripped securely. Then, the assembly of the eviscerating spoon and the fixing member is moved out of the abdominal cavity, the cluster of viscera being entirely detached from the carcass of the bird and hanging from the fixing member by the gullet. In a subsequent processing step, the cluster of viscera is transferred to another fixing member. While the eviscerating spoon and the fixing member are being moved in the abdominal cavity of the bird, large amounts of connective tissue is broken and organs in the cluster of viscera are moved out of their natural position before the gullet is gripped securely.
European patent application 539,134 describes an eviscerating member having a substantially elongate, O-shaped bracket, referred to as a spoon, which comprises two C-shaped part-brackets. The part-brackets can be moved away from one another at their front sides.
While the eviscerating member which is known from European patent application 539,134 is being used for an eviscerating operation, the O-shaped bracket is moved into the abdominal cavity of a bird which is hanging by its legs along the breast side of this bird (with the C-shaped part-brackets resting against one another) in such a manner that when the eviscerating member is pulled back, the cluster of viscera is moved out of the bird. In the process, the cluster of viscera will usually at least partially pass through the O-shaped opening, so that part of the cluster of viscera is situated on one side of the bracket and another part is situated on the other side of the bracket. Since the bird, with the cluster of viscera still connected to it, follows a different path from the eviscerating member, the cluster of viscera is detached from the bracket as a result of the C-shaped part-brackets being moved apart after the eviscerating operation, preventing the eviscerating member from pulling the cluster of viscera off the bird. The eviscerating member is not intended to fix viscera, since the C-shaped part-brackets rest against one another during the eviscerating operation.
European patent application 839,455 describes an eviscerating member having a gripper means which comprises two jaw parts which can rotate about axes which are at an angle to one another. In an inactive position, the jaw parts are directed downwards and are situated at a distance from one another. In an active position, the jaw parts have been folded upward through approx. 90 degrees, the mutually facing edges of the jaw parts being driven towards one another on account of their angled axes of rotation.
When the eviscerating member which is known from European patent application 839,455 is used for an eviscerating operation, the jaw parts, in their inactive position, are moved into the abdominal cavity of a bird hanging by its legs, along the breast side of this bird. When the jaw parts have reached the neck area of the bird, the jaw parts are moved from the inactive position to the active position, the viscera being moved a short distance upwards and the gullet of the bird being clamped securely between the jaw parts. During this process, large amounts of connective tissue is broken and the viscera is moved out of its natural position before the gullet is clamped. Then, the cluster of viscera is moved out of the bird and the clamping of the gullet is eliminated, so that the cluster of viscera remains hanging from the carcass of the bird.
The object of the invention is to provide an eviscerating member which combines structural simplicity, a low consumption of material and a low cost price with robustness, flexible applications, a high level of effectiveness and good reproducibility of processing for slaughtered animals of different sizes.
This object is achieved according to the invention by means of an eviscerating member according to the appended independent claim.
Preferred embodiments of the eviscerating member are described in the appended dependent claims.
With regard to the covering member, it is pointed out that it can be used to good effect not only in eviscerating members according to the invention but also in other eviscerating members, such as the eviscerating members according to the prior art.
The abovementioned and other aspects, claims and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by explanation in more detail with reference to the following description and considered in connection with the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments of a device and method according to the invention for use on poultry. In the drawings, identical reference numerals in the various Figures denote identical components or components with an identical function.